Advisors Management Group Inc. ADV Lowers Stake in Apple Inc. $AAPL

Advisors Management Group Inc. ADV decreased its stake in shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL - Free Report) by 18.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 32,491 shares of the iPhone maker's stock after selling 7,304 shares during the quarter. Apple makes up 1.5% of Advisors Management Group Inc. ADV's portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Advisors Management Group Inc. ADV's holdings in Apple were worth $8,245,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AAPL. Warburton Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Apple by 9.5% in the 1st quarter. Warburton Capital Management LLC now owns 9,382 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $2,443,000 after acquiring an additional 817 shares in the last quarter. Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 7.9% in the 1st quarter. Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC now owns 40,448 shares of the iPhone maker's stock valued at $10,267,000 after buying an additional 2,961 shares in the last quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Apple by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 107,322 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $27,237,000 after buying an additional 5,018 shares during the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. grew its position in shares of Apple by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 3,503,348 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $889,115,000 after buying an additional 149,720 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Beacon Harbor Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Apple by 11.5% during the 1st quarter. Beacon Harbor Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 33,387 shares of the iPhone maker's stock worth $8,473,000 after acquiring an additional 3,456 shares in the last quarter. 67.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AAPL. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Apple from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised their price objective on Apple from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Apple from $335.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $365.00 target price on Apple in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, KGI Securities cut Apple from an "outperform" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $315.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, June 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $327.40.

Apple News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ford said it will embed Apple Maps into upcoming EVs, expanding Apple’s software reach and reinforcing the value of its ecosystem. Ford Embeds Apple Maps Directly into Upcoming EVs
• Positive Sentiment: Baird raised its price target on Apple and reiterated an Outperform rating, adding to bullish analyst momentum. Finviz
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary highlighted Apple as outperforming the broader market, supported by strong ratings and a favorable chart setup ahead of earnings. Why is Apple stock outperforming the broader market?
• Neutral Sentiment: Apple was also the subject of discussion around upcoming product launches, AI features, and a possible device-leasing program, which could support demand but remain unconfirmed or longer-term in nature.
• Negative Sentiment: Some reports noted concerns that Apple’s valuation is stretched heading into earnings, and insider sales plus short-interest chatter may temper enthusiasm if results disappoint.

Apple Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AAPL opened at $333.02 on Friday. Apple Inc. has a 52 week low of $201.50 and a 52 week high of $334.99. The business's 50 day moving average price is $306.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $279.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market cap of $4.89 trillion, a P/E ratio of 40.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.10.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $111.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $109.46 billion. Apple had a net margin of 27.15% and a return on equity of 146.69%. Apple's revenue for the quarter was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.65 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Apple Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 14th. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. This is a boost from Apple's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. Apple's dividend payout ratio is 13.06%.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In related news, insider Ben Borders sold 1,274 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.00, for a total transaction of $369,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at $11,226,770. The trade was a 3.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Apple Company Profile

Apple Inc NASDAQ: AAPL is a multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. The company designs, develops and sells consumer electronics, software and services. Over its history Apple has evolved from personal computers to a broad portfolio that spans mobile devices, wearables, home entertainment and digital services.

Apple's principal hardware products include the iPhone smartphone, iPad tablet, Mac personal computers, Apple Watch wearable devices and a range of accessories such as AirPods and HomePod.

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